Saccharine outside, Raccoon inside.

My hometown Miri held her first ever Gymkhana event on November 20th, 2016, at Emart Riam Road car park. The event, called Miri Gymkhana Challenge 2016, was hosted by Speed Master Racing while the Portatree system was provided by Lutong Drag. There were 20 participants altogether, including Mirians, Bruneians, and experienced drivers from Sibu and Bintulu. I would like to share some pictures that I captured with my cellphone (kindly excuse my poor photography skill). There are videos too so please stay tuned. :-) You may wonder, what was I doing there prancing around under the merciless rays of tropical matahari?

My other half was participating in the event for the very first time and I was there to show my support (and gain some tan!).

The event organizer invited two technical advisors (pictured below) from Sarawak Auto-Enthusiast Society (S.A.S). They are Mr. Wan Ashraq and Mr. Huzaifah Abg Zainuddin, both of them flew from Kuching to Miri for the event.

Miri Gymkhana Challenge banner flapping under the wind:

At the end of the challenge, participants took a group picture with the organizers. I think it would have been cool if they remember to do the mannequin challenge. :-)

I received this information from an insider (FYI that’s not my handwriting):

The winners (pictured below), from left to right – Teo Hong (3rd runner-up), Jeff Hong (2nd runner-up), Stanley Wong (the champion), and Elmyn Anak Michael (1st runner-up). Please note that the hamper on the utmost right belongs to the champion, it was misplaced but quickly corrected after I snapped the photo below.

Note: I’m not the official photographer or appointed blogger for this event. Like I mentioned earlier, I was there to support my other half who participated in the challenge. Even though he did not snare any prizes (he missed a cone), he had so much fun, get acquainted with interesting souls, and gained some valuable experience.

Mr. Wong has a blog too. If you like to read more about his experience, kindly visit his blog – Charmant Drifting Dreamz.

Finishing the course effectively in fastest time:

No doubt that Gymkhana requires good memorization of the course and strong mental concentration. Gymkhana drivers use several techniques to navigate a course efficiently. Handbrake technique, drifting and sliding and left-foot braking are all necessary skills for Gymkhana.

It may look easy, but can you memorize the course at a short notice?

Under the tent. ‘Obi-Wan’ (in sunglasses) talking to my other half (in black Lutong Drag T Shirt, his back facing the camera) –

Elmyn and his beautiful helmet:

Jovan Shim was one of the participants of the challenge and here’s one of his runs:

I apologize for not being able to capture videos of all the participants’ runs. I frequently took a break and went away from the venue. The heat was almost unbearable but somehow I’m grateful it wasn’t raining that day.

I can’t emphasize enough how much we love the company of our brothers from Brunei, who often support our events despite rain or sunshine.

Wonderful friends that came to watch the event:

Petrus Kalom and Ling Yii Yang on duty:

Budget constraint is often an issue in most events, if not all. The least we could do was buy some T-Shirts from them. I sincerely hope the Motorsport scene in Miri would thrive and the organizers of Motorsport events in Miri will receive stronger supports from the public as well as private sectors.

The event would have been impossible if not for their support:

Winners beaming after receiving their trophies:

The night before the event, I dropped by at Emart Riam car park to observe Speed Master Racing and Lutong Drag team hard at work as they made final preparations for the event. Both advisors from Sarawak Auto-Enthusiast Society – Wan and Huzaifah, were present to oversee the preparations. For experimentation purpose, Wan drove my husband’s Skyline R34 GT-T and made a test run on the venue. Of course the route he took during the test run wasn’t the same as the one meant for the real challenge.

We love the chocolate-flavored coconut shake from Tusan (now it is known as Coco Loco). Whatever name it goes by, the taste is unforgettable.

Locksley (I call him Loki) behind the wheel during a test run (the night before the event):

At the end of the event, Mr. Wan (often refer to as ‘Obi-Wan’ by many) demonstrated to the crowd how he does Gymkhana, in my husband’s Skyline R34 GT-T. I think our ‘Pikachu Skyline’ (a nick I gave to the car) is quite a cute model, lol.

Once the event had ended, it was time for the “after party” / ‘donut party’ ! Here’s our friend Asri from Brunei in his sexy red GT86:

Our friend Percy did not participate in the event but he came to watch and support his friends. After the event had ended, he joined them for the ‘donut party’.

Vlogger Hee Wei Seng hopped into the passenger seat as my husband took him for a brief spin at the venue right after the event had wrapped up. Mr. Hee vlog about his experience in his channel; his point of view is from inside the ‘Pickachu Skyline’. Here is what it looks like from a bystander’s perspective:

All in all, the event went well. In the future, I hope to see female participants in such events. I might consider joining too, ONLY IF my other half allows it. ;-)

Hello and welcome :)

I'm quite cool but global warming made me hot.

About Me and This Humble Blog

An artistically-inclined, multilingual Dayak lady with diverse interests currently living in Miri, Sarawak. This is a ‘masam manis’ (sweet and sour) distraction where she shares stuff such as arts and crafts, adventures, books, cars, events, her favorite things, occasional stints as performer, random musings, travel, etc.

Elena Wee is a pseudonym. Blog owner is a native of Borneo born in Miri. She is a homemaker (also, a wannabe thespian / writer) – married to a wonderful guy whose late paternal grandmother was a Melanau of Mukah origins, while his late paternal grandfather was a Chinese – surnamed Wee, who was the first Wee that established himself in Mukah, Sarawak before World War II.

Don't ever change yourself to impress someone, cause they should be impressed that you don't change to please others -- When you are going through something hard and wonder where God is, always remember that the teacher is always quiet during a test --- Unknown